About Cedric

Legislative Committees: Vice-Chair House Healthcare Committee, member of the House Committee on Early Childhood and Family Supports; Ways & Means Subcommittee on Human Services

Friends,

I want to thank you for taking the time to let me share a little bit about myself.

Some of you may know already me as your dentist, or the guy with the cows next door. Or maybe I worked alongside you on the Klondike Fire or Mendicino Complex fire this last year.

Well, I am a dentist by training, but I’ve recently limited my practice to hospital-based dental care. This has left me more time to spend lately with my ranch and small business. Last year we ran over a thousand head of cattle in and around the Creswell/Cottage Grove area. Beyond ranching, I also operate a heavy equipment company that I started in 2009.

My wife and I began a dental charity in late 2007 as a safety net for those children and adults who don’t have the means or insurance to go see a dentist. Our family efforts have expanded into running mobile dental clinics here at home in Lane and Douglas Counties as well as internationally.

Why I Run for House District 7?

This brings us to one reason why I am running for the Oregon Legislature as a Republican. We first offered a full service dental clinic to two towns right here in House District 7, which is mostly comprised of rural areas in Douglas and Lane Counties. My wife and I were astonished when our services were rejected by local public officials. In one case we had even purchased land for the clinic, but still were not allowed to provide free care.

Caring Hand to Mouth Clinic

You have to ask yourself, why would free health care services be rejected? Was there not a need? No, there is a need, so why would free public oral health be denied to those to whom it could benefit? We had spent years building a modern semi-mobile dental clinic and now with all the elements in place the government said no. As best as I can tell, the reason was because we were not a government-based solution.

Local Solutions First

I believe the best solutions are not government-based and that the people of our good state can and will help provide for others if we are allowed to. A one-size-fits-all government solution is usually not the answer. This is my philosophy, and I see its implications in other areas beyond community service.

Cedric Ross Hayden, Republican

My wife and I have five beautiful children. We have worked hard and planned ahead; we have provided our little family and employees with health insurance in a relationship with a company that can be trusted, not the government. But, like millions of Americans, we too recently received a letter saying that because of government intervention that insurance policy may end. Why do they really know what’s better for my family and children than we do? Again, government is not the solution.

This approach applies to job creation as well. I’ve found that my business ventures have done the best at both turning a profit and benefiting our employees when we did not have to spend significant time and other resources navigating through government paperwork and policies. Even the best intentions behind regulations often don’t result in the greater good. This is most obvious in rural areas like ours where legislation and regulations created with ostensibly good intentions have resulted in dramatically reduced timber harvests and thus job losses.

Join Cedric Today!

We’re also very familiar with government overreach in our area when it comes to the right to bear arms. Thankfully, this right has not been taken away. But the pressure for the government to limit our 2nd Amendment rights is strong, and as your State Representative I will fight to block efforts by politicians in Portland and Eugene from taking away our gun rights.

Lastly, as parents with kids in school, Julie and I understand the challenges that our schools face to provide a quality education for our kids. I want to see a serious effort to reduce class sizes and provide every student the opportunity and resources they need to read by the time they are in third grade.

Join Me in Making a Difference!

But to be able to do this I need your support. I need you to stand with me in supporting private sector job solutions and our rights to own property and bear arms. I need you to join me to help change the mentality in Salem that a top down approach to health care, education and caring for the poor is best. I need you to join me as I run for State Representative. Please take a moment to fill out our volunteer form to get involved today!